The Supreme Court has formed a five-member High-Powered Committee to examine allegations of violence and police excesses during recent student protests in Delhi and other parts of the country.
The committee is headed by former Supreme Court judge Justice R. Subhash Reddy. Its members include former Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Ravi Shankar Jha, former Delhi High Court judge Justice Shalinder Kaur, former CBI Director Rishi Kumar Shukla and former Meghalaya DGP L.R. Bishnoi.
The panel will examine allegations of excessive police force, including the use of lathis, tear gas, electric batons and pellet guns. It will also look into violence allegedly committed by protesters and injuries suffered by both protesters and police personnel.
The committee will give special attention to allegations of targeted violence, harassment and molestation of women protesters. It will also assess whether police action during assemblies was lawful and proportionate.
Other issues include police surveillance, officers wearing visible identification during arrests and the possible use of interim compensation for injured people.
The committee will submit interim findings to the Supreme Court and continue its assessment of the issues.